When You're Gone
by ShinyShiny9
Summary: Shadow the Hedgehog is gone. Not gone like usually, but really gone. And something dark is lurking just out of sight. As the search for Shadow continues, traitors stay faithful, the trusted become tyrants, deceptions layer on deceptions, and the most powerful forces fall short. The secret lies too deep for safety . . . and maybe giving one's all is still not enough.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this is going to be a good deal darker than the stuff I usually write. Still not that bad, but there'll be mild language and some violence. I actually considered squeezing it in under the K+ rating, but I didn't want to take the risk. Also, this is sort of AU. It's certainly in the Sonic universe, but it has absolutely no connection to the loose continuity that my other stories follow. **

**Anyway, that's enough talk. Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

It started when Shadow disappeared. Not the kind of disappearing he often did, the kind where he'd whisk off somewhere without a word to anyone. Not the kind where he'd come sauntering back after a few days, cold as ever. Not the kind the others were used to.

This was a full-scale disappearance, an honest-to-goodness one. He was last seen on the first of May, acting as he usually did. Not a hint that anything was going to happen. Neither he nor Rouge were seen for two days after. Then Rouge returned, fresh and perky as usual, but with a strange light in her eyes and the faintest hint of puzzlement on her face, when she thought you weren't looking. Shadow still didn't make an appearance.

One day, there was a knock on Rouge's door. She opened it to find Sonic, Tails, and Amy on her doorstep.

"Hello there, Amy, boys," she said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Rouge," said Sonic, with an uncharacteristically serious face. "Do you know where Shadow is?"

"Heck no," she shrugged, her wings flapping carelessly. "He never tells me where he's going. Heck, he never even tells me _when_ he's going. Why, you need him for something?"

"No. We were all just wondering where he'd gone," said Amy soberly.

"Don't worry," scoffed Rouge. "It's his habit to disappear like this."

"For more than a week?"

Rouge's face remained cool, but her wings wilted defeatedly from their brave spread.

"I know," she said quietly, unknowingly gripping the doorknob. "He's never been gone this long. I . . . somehow I feel like he'd let me know before disappearing for such a stretch. I had to turn down a G.U.N. mission because he wasn't here."

"Do you think he's in any danger?" asked Tails grimly.

Rouge was silent, her eyes on the floor.

"Rouge."

"Yes."

"What?! Why? Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I didn't know what was going on," said Rouge grimly. "I didn't think there was any real reason to be worried too soon. But something's very strange." She stepped aside and motioned indoors. "Come in and sit down. I need to tell you something."

Sonic, Tails, and Amy stepped in and sat down a sofa, their faces anxious. Rouge didn't sit down; she paced back and forth, chewing her lip.

"I don't know if there's a connection with this or not," she said, "But I know Shadow was last seen on the first of May. And the first and second of May . . . I never saw them. For all I know, they never existed."

Silence. Three pairs of eyes watched her.

"Did they exist?" asked Rouge, smiling ruefully.

"They existed," said Tails. "For the rest of us, anyway."

Rouge nodded and continued.

"On the first of May," she said, "I slept in, because I'd been up late with a mission the night before. When the alarm clock rang, I just turned it off and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew, it was noon—on the third of May. I checked my clock, I checked my watch, I checked three different computers, I went out and asked some random guy what day it was, like a total idiot." Rouge shook her head bitterly. "I don't know what happened. I couldn't have slept through two whole days! And the house . . . " she looked around. "I could tell someone unfriendly had been in here."

A sharp intake of breath from Amy.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "What did they do?"

"No, I'm not sure," said Rouge, shaking her head. "I don't have anything real to go on. Nothing was taken or even moved, no notes, nothing. Maybe there was a different smell . . . but it was more like a _feeling_. But I don't know if I imagined it or not. Having two whole days just disappear on you can make you paranoid and semi-delusional, I guess."

She paused and tugged on her ear wearily, a frown twisting across her muzzle.

"So, a while later I found that Shadow wasn't around anymore. I wasn't really worried at first. It was so typical of him. But I was kind of waiting for him to get back, so I could ask if he knew anything about days just vanishing like that."

She tensed slightly, hoping it didn't seem like she had been frightened. Frankly, she had been, been frightened and very confused, but there was no need for anybody to know that. Luckily, the others only continued to listen grimly.

"But yeah, he never came," she finished, shrugging. "Never called, never even reported to G.U.N., as far as I know. They asked to speak to him that time when I had to turn down a mission, and they were majorly ticked when I said I didn't know where he was."

"I think we should start searching," said Sonic quietly, standing up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

Everyone got involved in the search. They asked around everywhere, scouring all the places where Shadow sometimes could be found. Not only was he not there, there were no signs of his having recently been there either.

At last they got a lead. Vector, the only one old enough, went into a bar that Shadow had visited sporadically. Everyone knew the dark hedgehog had his own set of acquaintances there, picked from Mobius's more unsavory lot, easy talkers and easier stabbers. Charmy had been scared out of his wits about Vector going in there.

But eventually Vector came out, unscathed and rather excited.

"A lead, fellas, at least something!" he announced. The whole search party gathered around eagerly.

"Listen up," said Vector, rather unnecessarily. "I went in there and talked to some of the regulars, y'know, people who hang out there all the time. They said they saw something interestin' on the first of May!"

"Well? Tell us!" said Knuckles impatiently.

"They all agreed that on the first of May, a guy in a huge black trenchcoat came into the building. They all kinda noticed him, because he opened the door harder than he needed to and stood there glarin' around for a minute like in a bad Western movie."

"Didn't they see who it was?"

"No! 'Cos he had the trenchcoat all pulled up around his ears, and a black hat on top o' that. But one of the guys there swears he saw a flash of red quills under the hat for a second."

Excited nods all around. Vector continued.

"So, everyone was kinda watchin' this guy uneasily, and he went straight to a room in the back and closed the door. So everyone forgot about him, 'cos things were all rowdy that afternoon." Vector wrinkled his long nose. "If today was a calm afternoon, I'd hate to see a rowdy one.

"But anyhow, nobody had seen the guy leaving, and I was beginning to think he'd gone into that back room and never come out. But then I met this one fella who said the guy had definitely left. The fella was walking into the bar that afternoon, about half an hour later than the time that Trench Coat Guy first came in. He says Trench Coat Guy was leaving in a big hurry, with his head down, like he was trying not to get noticed. But he ran straight into the guy, nearly bowled him over. The guy was really mad, but Trench Coat Guy just mumbled sorry and hauled outta there fast. He headed off into the woods over there." Vector pointed.

"That had to be Shadow!" said Sonic, smacking one fist into the palm of his other hand. "He's up to something big all right!"

"He must be on a spy mission," said Amy. "It sounds like he was trying really hard not to be recognized."

"Well, it wasn't a G.U.N. mission," said Rouge firmly. "I tell you, they don't know where he is."

"Then he must have met someone else in that back room, someone he's working for," concluded Knuckles. "Could he be a . . . double agent, Rouge?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Rouge frankly. "Shadow was always a bit reluctant about the whole G.U.N. business. They kept him in the dark as much as they could, gave him as little information as possible, but I'm sure he could still be pretty useful to rival organizations. Now my question is, why did he head off into the woods?"

"Time to find out!" said Sonic, dashing off towards the trees.

They searched the woods for a few hours. Finally Tails came rushing to find the others, claiming he had found a black trench coat suspended on a tree branch. Like the clever little fox he was, he had left it there so they could find it again and search the general vicinity for clues.

"Well, he clearly hung it there for a reason," said Knuckles, folding his arms and surveying the trench coat swaying in the breeze. It was suspended from a branch stub as neatly as if it had been a coat hook.

"But what reason is that?" asked Sonic.

"Multiple possibilities," Espio spoke up in his smooth, serious voice. "Possibly he may have intended it as a marker, either for himself or for someone else. But more likely he simply no longer needed it. The trench coat was worn specifically for the bar, and it would only be a hindrance in the woods. It would have been uncomfortably warm, and would have snagged on bushes and branches, making him easier to track."

"Track? Say, do you think you can track him?" asked Tails eagerly.

"The trail is two weeks old . . . but I will try," replied Espio.

He slipped quietly around the tree where the coat hung, his eyes trained on the ground. He studied this way and that, then set swiftly off towards a deeper section of the forest, pausing only to motion for the others to stay put. The searchers waited, listening to Espio's near-silent footsteps rapidly vanishing. Rouge, leaning idly against an ancient tree trunk, ran her eyes over the length of the black coat and felt a sudden chill shoot through her. It was so . . . eerie. Shadow was gone, and this coat just hung here, out in the middle of the woods, all alone. Like a kitschy rock album cover.

Silently she walked up to the coat and pulled it down from the tree. It shouldn't be hanging there, she thought fiercely. It was just wrong. Turning back the lapels and stroking the coat's fuzzy surface, she snuffled lightly at its scent. Then she stiffened.

"What's wrong?" asked Amy.

"I don't know, something just seems off about the smell," said Rouge, burying her nose into the coat's collar. "Shadow's fur has a very particular scent."

She was surprised that she knew it so well, but then she wasn't surprised at all. All those times the two of them had been on secret missions, squeezing together into impossibly tiny hiding spaces; all those times she'd caught him under the arms as he fell from some height; all those times she'd snuck in a kiss on the cheek to thank him for a rescue or just because she knew it made him so mad; all those times she had bitten him after they wore each others' tempers down to nothing and swung into a tumbling brawl . . . heck yeah, she knew the scent of his fur. Dark like him, musky and bitter and velvety. More often than not tinged with chocolate or other forms of sugar.

So what was wrong with the scent on this coat? It was Shadow's, but there was something else too. Had somebody else worn the coat before Shadow? Was she just confused by the leftover smell of laundry detergent? Had it been outside long enough to pick up a woodsy aroma? All more than possible. She was really getting paranoid. But . . . it was so wrong.

Suddenly Espio reappeared in their midst, looking even grimmer than usual.

"I am sorry," he said, bowing slightly. "He apparently stepped into a creek and deliberately walked downstream to hide his trail. I could not find where he stepped back onto the bank."

"It's all right, Espio. You tried," said Rouge. "I'm impressed that you could track so old a trail anyway!"

Espio shrugged.

"He must have really wanted to stay hidden," murmured Tails. "Even . . . even from us."

"Maybe we shouldn't be looking for him," said Knuckles. "Maybe he just had a really secret mission he didn't want us to get involved in."

"Why wouldn't he want us involved?" growled Rouge. "Either he's doing something truly criminal, or he knew it would be so dangerous that we wouldn't stand a chance. And with those possibilities before you, you want to stop searching?!"

Knuckles fell back and said nothing more. Silently the search party turned and began to walk back through the woods. Rouge kept the trench coat with her, still puzzling over the strangeness of its scent. Amy walked next to her, also eyeing the mass of dark fabric. She smiled ruefully.

"You know, I'm trying to imagine Shadow wearing that thing," she said, hoping to lift Rouge's spirits. "He must have looked quite the menacing picture."

"Yeah," chuckled Sonic. "A real showstopper. Kind of silly—you wear a trench coat to hide, and it just makes you more obvious!"

Suddenly they all froze and stared at one another, a realization slowly dawning on them.

"He _wanted_ to get noticed," whispered Amy.

"How could I not have seen it?" groaned Sonic, slapping his forehead. "Guys on Mobius don't wear clothing except for special occasions, so if you wear _any_ kind of clothes, you get noticed. And detectives and spies might wear trench coats in the movies, but if you try to wear one in real life, you _really_ get noticed!"

"And all the things I heard about in the bar," added Vector, stroking his chin. "I should have known his entrance was too theatrical and noisy to be natural. I'll bet he even bumped into that guy on purpose! He actually _wanted_ to be seen entering and leaving."

"So . . . why?" asked Amy.

"Maybe he wanted to prove he had been in a certain place at a certain time. Maybe he needed an alibi," offered Tails.

"Or maybe," said Rouge, "he _wanted_ us to track him."

More silence.

"Then we can't give up yet," said Amy. "He might need us."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

They extended their search. They started by combing every inch of those woods, everywhere. Not one sign of Shadow did they find—which was odd, because it was evident that he had wanted to be noticed. Why hadn't he left a good clear trail for them to follow? But they weren't about to give up, not yet.

When the woods turned up nothing, they began to search in a widening spiral outwards from the woods, checking hiding places, asking people they met if they had seen a black hedgehog with red stripes and a grumpy expression. Nobody had, at least not recently. But Shadow's sphere of influence was surprisingly large.

"Oh, you mean Shadow?" said one elderly fox, his face lighting up.

"Why yes! You know him?" asked Amy.

"He comes by every now and then," smiled the gent. "He helped me once, and every now and then he stops to see if I'm still around." He chuckled drily. "A bit down in the mouth, doesn't talk much, but a heart of gold."

"I know," said Amy softly. "When did you last see him?"

"A month ago."

"Oh."

And everywhere else, for miles around, people reacted when they heard Shadow's description. Some would light up happily the way the elderly fox had. Some would snarl angrily. Most just gave a flavorless sort of smile, the kind people give when they realize they know who you're talking about. It was surprising, to say the least. Who knew that such an antisocial hedgehog would be recognized in almost as many places as Sonic himself?

Rouge stormed in to interview Dr. Eggman, meanwhile. It was fully possible that Shadow was working with him again, and she was the only other Mobian who could possibly get a little info out of the doctor. Besides, being an expert liar herself, Rouge could always tell when someone wasn't being honest with her—a vital skill when conversing with Eggman. She returned looking crestfallen.

"He hasn't been working with Eggman," she said matter-of-factly to the group waiting for her return. She leaned back against a tree and put on her best careless expression.

"Nothing? Just nothing?" protested Tails. "Not even some kind of hint?"

"Nothing. I can tell he knows even less than we do," shrugged Rouge. "I used all my tricks, the kind that always make liars slip up, and he breezed through them like a freaking Vulcan. He could tell I was suspicious, so he even let me wander all over his base as I pleased, to check if he wasn't hiding Shadow somewhere."

She got a few raised eyebrows.

"Of course it was a trap," she retorted to the silent question, rolling her eyes. She flicked over her wrist, showing off a long, narrow gash on the underside of her forearm. "No big deal, just a bit of a nuisance. I got through all the possible hiding spots, and there was nothing. I can pretty much swear to you that Shadow's not in there."

"All right. Okay. We're not done yet," sighed Sonic, running a hand through his quills. "Where to next?"

The Master Emerald," said Rouge.

"Uh . . . " Sonic shook his head at her dubiously. "Not the best time to go chasing after that thing, Rouge."

"I'm not chasing after it," snorted Rouge. "I want the Knucklehead to question it. Can't he use that stupid rock to find out stuff?"

"Oh! Why didn't we think of that before?!" said Tails, slapping his forehead. "Yes he can!"

They went to talk to Knuckles. He was only marginally involved in the search by now, because he didn't like to leave the Master Emerald alone for so long. However, he was plenty willing to question the Emerald about Shadow's location. The process required a good deal of mystical preparation, so he told them all to come back tomorrow morning.

* * *

Early the next morning, everyone gathered in a gray rainshower, watching as Knuckles stood before the Master Emerald. He had a special headband on, and the tips of his long dreadlocks had been dipped in some kind of dye, a different color for each quill. His eyes were closed as he hummed and murmured something under his breath, gently stroking the sides of giant green stone. His mouth twitched slightly now and then, his expression changing as he probed carefully into the Emerald's forbidden depths. At last he stepped back and looked to the others, his eyes cloudy with a crystalline green mist. He shook his head violently, and the mist dissipated.

"Sorry," he said, his face stony.

"Whaddaya mean, 'sorry'?" snapped Sonic. "What did it say?"

"It can't find him," said Knuckles curtly. "Either that or it doesn't want to tell me."

"Does that mean . . . that . . . " Tails gulped, his eyes wide and frightened.

"Probably not," Knuckles almost barked. "If he was dead the Master Emerald would just say so, straightforwardly. If it can't or won't look for him, he's probably involved in some kind of deep evil. Somewhere the Master Emerald's energy wouldn't want to enter."

"Did it at least hint if he was all right?" asked Rouge hesitantly.

"No!" Knuckles outright shouted. "He is most probably NOT entirely all right!" He stood silent for a while, his breath coming in snarls, glaring around at the others' hopeless faces. Amy started to cry softly.

"Shut UP!" bellowed Knuckles. Amy shied back, eyes wide.

"Knuckles!" Sonic snapped back. "Stop that! Now!"

Knuckles fell back a step, his face melting from an expression of wrath to one of shame. He looked around again, his gaze lingering on the still-sobbing Amy.

"Look," he sighed, shutting his eyes and hanging his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just—just ticked off. The Master Emerald's never held me off like that before. It didn't _want_ to tell me anything. I kept getting this feeling that something horrible was there, right out of sight, and I just . . . I just couldn't get at it . . . " He dragged one hand down his face and sighed again. "I'm sorry."

They stood in bitter silence, the rain pattering all around them and trickling down their bodies. Slowly Sonic put one arm around Tails and the other around Amy, who nestled against him and buried her face in his shoulder. Rouge moved to place a hand gently on Knuckles' arm.

"We should get indoors," she murmured.

Slowly the little party left Angel Island and headed to Sonic's house, leaving the Master Emerald glinting enigmatically in the rainlight.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you very much to BearValley3365 for reviewing! And to everyone who's following or favoriting this story. Things are about to heat up . . .**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

An hour after a small crowd of wet Mobians had tromped in through the door, an air of gloom still hung over Sonic's small living room. Rouge had brewed some tea, and Amy was still huddled over a steaming mug of it. Knuckles sat glumly in an armchair, his eyes vacant and his shoulders slouched as he gazed across the room. Not like Knuckles at all. Everyone was just staring off into space or into the carpet or into the great beyond. The clock ticked with a soft crunching sound.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Sonic heaved himself to his feet and answered it, only to find Espio on the doorstep. The rain had tapered off, but droplets of water still glinted on the chameleon's frill. He bowed slightly.

"Hello. Where are the others?" he asked in his quiet way.

"They're here, actually," said Sonic, gesturing over his shoulder.

"Good. I have something I wish to tell you," said Espio. His eyes, which usually pierced you through and sized you up and whittled you down all in one cold gaze, were fixed on the ground. Something was troubling him.

"Come on in, Espio," said Sonic, stepping aside.

The chameleon stepped purposefully towards the center of the room and nodded a greeting to everyone. Then he closed his eyes in half-meditation and drew a deep breath.

"I have some information that I feel I must tell you," he began.

"About Shadow!? You know where he is?" asked Amy eagerly, leaning forward. Eyes brightened with interest all around the room. Espio held up a cautionary hand.

"I do not know where he is," he said. "But . . . this might affect the search for him."

"Let's hear it," said Knuckles grimly.

"First tell me. What is your current impression of the events on May first?" asked Espio.

"Shadow went to the bar wearing a trenchcoat, walked into the back room, possibly met someone. Half an hour later he walked out, headed into the woods, hung his trenchcoat on a tree, then stepped into a creek. From then on, for all we know, he dissolved in there," rattled off Rouge automatically. She had gone over the events in her head so many times, trying to look for some suggestion, some clue.

Espio shook his head slowly.

"Wrong," he said.

"Wrong?!"

"He never came out of the back room," said Espio.

"What? But—" Sonic fell back, his eyes suddenly wide with a new possibility. "You—"

"I was his accomplice," said Espio, his eyes still fixed on the ground. "He came to me on the thirtieth of April and asked for my assistance. The task was simple. I walked to the bar with him. He was dressed in a trenchcoat. I was in my invisible form. He made a showy entrance, both to be noticed and to allow me time to slip in through the door ahead of him. I followed him into the back room. Nobody else was there."

Espio paused and licked his lips slowly. Raising his eyes to look at the others, he was met with stunned, in some cases angry faces. He lowered his gaze again and continued.

"After about half an hour, a masked man slipped quietly into the back room as well. It was very noisy back in the main room, so I believe this man's entrance was not noticed. I was no longer in my invisible form, and the man seemed annoyed that I was still there. However, he was not surprised, so I believe it was his idea, not Shadow's, that I should participate in the deception.

"But at any rate. Shadow gave me the trenchcoat; I put it on and left. On my way, I managed to collide with an entering bar-goer, making it look like an accident, to ensure there would be a witness to 'Shadow's' departure. Then, as planned, I went to the woods, discarded the coat there, and returned to the Chaotix agency. That is probably why Rouge was confused about the scent of the coat; I wore it after Shadow."

"But—but—but you followed Shadow's trail that time we found the coat!" protested Amy, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"There was no trail."

"Why did you lie to us?!"

"I was sworn to secrecy under the strictest of ninja oaths," said Espio, his eyes still lowered. "Shadow asked me to throw you off his track if at all possible. I felt bound to obey."

"Then why are you telling us now?" barked Knuckles.

"I knew you were worried," said Espio quietly.

For a long time nobody knew what to say. Finally Rouge stepped forward.

"Thank you," she said simply. "I know it must have been a very difficult choice for you, breaking the ninja code."

Espio looked up for the first time, his golden eyes hard but sad as they met Rouge's.

"There are other codes, higher than that of the ninja," he replied.

Rouge dipped her head in understanding. Espio looked around at the others.

"I know nothing more about this," he said, spreading his hands. "I am sorry I cannot provide more information. However, you have my promise of assistance in this search. I will help you in any way that is within my powers."

"Thanks, Espio," said Sonic, finding his voice.

The chameleon nodded in return, gave a swift bow that covered the entire assemblage at once, then turned and strode quietly towards the door.

"Wait!" cried Tails all of a sudden, jumping up. The ninja turned with an inquisitive look.

"There is one more thing you can tell us!" said Tails. "Didn't you stay in the back room with Shadow for half an hour before that masked man came in?"

Espio nodded.

"Well, how was Shadow acting during that half-hour? Did you notice anything unusual?"

A small smile flickered across Espio's face.

"Clever fox," he murmured. "You truly miss nothing. Yes, I did sit in the back room for a while. In fact, I went so far as to question Shadow about the person he was hoping to meet."

"Ohmigosh ohmigosh, why didn't you say so?"

"I got no useful answer," shrugged Espio. "He said that he had no idea whom he was meeting. He had been called there with even more secrecy than he had used to summon me. And as I sat there, I sensed . . . well, I sensed nothing special from him. He was suspicious, but certainly not anxious; confident and calm, as usual. He seemed to know as little about the situation as I did, but he was not at all worried about it. That is all I know."

"Thank you," said Tails, sitting back down disappointedly.

Espio nodded curtly again and vanished out the door.

"Now what?" came Amy's plaintive voice at length.

"New theory," groaned Sonic, pacing back and forth with both hands raking through his quills. "We have a new theory."

"How so?" asked Amy.

"Well, we used to think he'd gone to the woods, then walked off somewhere. That seemed to leave a pretty small radius to search in. He seemed to have been going on foot. But now, he disappeared out of a room with only one door, without using that door, and taking a masked guy with him—he must have Chaos Controlled! That means he could be _anywhere_. Any place, any continent, even another _dimension!_"

"Which would be one reason that the Master Emerald couldn't find him," put in Knuckles. "Its power doesn't extend to other dimensions."

"In other words, finding him just got even harder," sighed Sonic. "We have to search the entire _planet_ now, and even that might not be enough."

"Also," said Rouge quietly, "we used to think that he left us a trail. That he made a showy exit and left his coat on the tree so we could track him. Now we know that he went so far as to _deceive_ us to avoid being tracked."

"He really didn't want us to follow," said Amy softly. "Really, _really_ didn't want us to."

"Actually," said Tails, "the guy he was meeting was the one who didn't want him being followed. Remember? Espio said it seemed like the trick wasn't Shadow's idea."

"That doesn't say anything good," said Rouge flatly. "Whoever it is wanted Shadow, and only Shadow. With no interference."

"As if that's going to stop us," growled Sonic. "Something's not right here."

* * *

**A/N: You bet it isn't, Sonic. Hopefully after this we'll have a little less talk and a little more action. Man, I used to think I could never tolerate reading one of those all-talk political thrillers, and now I feel like I've written one. XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again to all readers, especially those who review, follow, or fave! **

**Bearvalley3365: Did you mean the masked figure Shadow was meeting? Interesting idea; maybe it might have been another animal . . . But then again, maybe not . . . I'm not giving away the secret just yet. :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

That night, everyone had gone back home. The air was clingy and humid, and clouds obscured the stars. A dark shape sliced quietly through the air, swooping to a halt on the edge of Angel Island.

Folding her wings behind her, Rouge stepped over to the Master Emerald shrine and mounted the steps leading to the top. Knuckles was dozing peacefully underneath his treasured stone, snoring softly. Rouge eyed him. Asleep, for sure. However, she knew from experience that his sleep was not overly heavy, so she stepped with caution.

A tiny flap of wings, and Rouge was crouching atop the Master Emerald. She could feel a massive amount of energy seeping into her hands and feet, almost burning. Well, evidently the Master Emerald never slept.

"All right, you overgrown hunk of rock," she whispered. "I don't know any of the mystical chants or incantations or hoopla that Knuckles gets up to, but you're gonna have to listen to me anyway. Knuckles said you were holding out on him. He also said that maybe you just couldn't find Shadow because he was in a different dimension. But I need to know. We all need to know. Is he in another dimension? Can you just not find him? Or is he somewhere you can find, but you just won't say?"

A slight tingle of mystic energy shivered up and down her arms, but otherwise she received no reply.

"You better talk, buster," murmured Rouge fiercely. "I haven't got all night. This is important! Stop being such a stuck-up jerk of a rock and tell me something! Anything! Come _on!_"

She slapped the top of the Master Emerald lightly but firmly, to show she meant business.

Well, it worked. Sort of.

The outside world suddenly blurred and disappeared. A green light flooded all around her, caging her in an emerald-shaped casing. Was she . . . _inside_ the Master Emerald? No, it had to be some kind of vision. It was communicating with her brain.

And what a communication. She was suddenly deluged with memories, mostly sounds, snatches of conversation. She couldn't move her limbs or her head, seemingly couldn't close her eyes. A few visual memories swirled before her, tinged green like everything else.

"Shadow! Tell me where Shadow is!" she demanded.

The memories changed. Now they were almost all about Shadow. At first a few good ones, mostly neutral ones; missions they had carried out together, times they had trained against each other at the G.U.N. headquarters, evenings doing paperwork, one sweet memory of that time she'd managed to egg the phlegmatic hedgehog into a snowball fight. She smiled as she remembered Shadow splattered from head to toe in damp white powder, a half-packed snowball in his hands, his normally dull eyes sparkling with laughter as he finally let Rouge bowl him over into a snowdrift and tumble in next to him. But slowly the memories became sadder, darker; times they had argued or ignored each other coldly. Being Shadow's mission partner wasn't always easy.

"Cut it out," growled Rouge annoyedly, wishing she could punch the uncooperative Emerald. "I don't want some kind of montage of the past. I want to know where he is _now_. Where is he? Where's Shadow?"

Suddenly all the other memories whisked away, leaving only one conversation, one from long ago, ringing clearly through the green atmosphere, forcing Rouge to relive the experience. It was an argument, a vicious one, full of vitriol and dark bubbling hatred.

"Shut up, you stupid rock!" shouted Rouge, as unrepeatable insults slashed back into her memory. "For god's sake, shut up! Leave me alone!"

**No.**

It was like another voice, a clear sharp crystal-shaped one, a commentator to the argument still raging in her ears. The Master Emerald was speaking now.

**No. Listen.**

"I don't want to! Don't make me!"

**Listen.**

She had no choice. The altercation was growing louder and louder, racking and tearing at her eardrums.

_Shut up,_ came Shadow's voice, cold and calm with fury. _Shut up and get out of here. I have nothing to say to you._

_Damned if you don't! _Rouge's voice barked back. _You. You twist every word I say against me. You watch my every move, every minute, noting it so you can twist it to condemn me later. You—you pig! Do you even know what a monster you are?_

Silence. A cold smirk from that insufferably cold face. Oh, how she hated him. A violent snapping of wings, the sound of a blow rang out.

_I told you to get out of here,_ came Shadow's voice again, not at all shaken. _Go._

_What the hell are you?_ Rouge almost screamed. Another blow, sounding like it had missed. _All the times I've tried to get through to you. All the times you've pushed me away. Don't they matter to you at all?_

_No._

_Do you even realize that I hate you? Is that getting through to you?_

_Yes. I don't care._

_Of course not, you never care! Nothing in the world could make you care! You're a selfish son of a—_

_Probably._

_God, you know I want to kill you right now? You know I never want to see you again?_

_That's fine by me. I don't care about seeing you any time, much less now. And good luck trying to kill me._

_DO YOU REALIZE I HATE YOU?_

_You already said that. Are you going to leave or not?_

Silence, except for Rouge's panting breaths, heavy with fury, bordering on sobs.

_You, _her voice came again at last, hard and cold. _You are made of iron. You have no soul, do you?_

No answer. Then a dark chuckle.

_Dammit!_ Rouge shouted, feeling blood pounding in her head. _Why can't I hurt you? Nothing I say, nothing I do—why can't I hurt you?!_

_. . . Nothing can hurt me._

_WHY CAN'T I EVER HURT YOU?!_

The cry began to echo, coming again and again, louder every time, tearing her open—

The next thing Rouge knew, she was being hurled violently to the ground, shaking all over, and a dark form was standing over her.

"You little thief!" bellowed a familiar voice. "Leave my Master Emerald alone!"

"Knuckles?" Rouge opened her eyes, still shaking. "Trust me, I n-never want to get near that . . . that . . . " she shut her eyes and let shudders rack through her—"that _thing_ again!"

Knuckles' expression softened at once, and he crouched down next to her.

"Rouge," he said gently. "You didn't try to talk to it, did you?"

No answer. He placed his hands on Rouge's shoulders and shook her gently.

"Rouge? Rouge, are you all right? What did you do?"

Rouge's eyes opened slowly. The green mist was still in them, and they were wide and haunted as they met Knuckles' gaze.

"I tried to ask it . . . " she began.

"And it gave you a guilt trip, huh?" said Knuckles, tilting his head sadly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. The Master Emerald can be cruel if you don't give it its respects."

Rouge bowed her head and kept shivering. Why? Why had it shown her that? That one time, that one blind rage-filled day, she had wanted so much to pierce Shadow's unpierceable armor. She had wanted so much to hurt him, the way he could hurt her. She had wanted him to suffer . . . and now all she wanted in the world was to know that he was safe.

The damn emerald was mocking her.

She felt Knuckles' arm slip over her shoulder, and realized she was crying. Shoot, she refused to! She never cried, especially not in front of anyone. _Especially_ not in front of Knuckles. Much good it did her, though. She was too far gone.

"It must have been really bad," murmured Knuckles, sitting next to Rouge and patting her hand soothingly. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm—I'm fine," choked Rouge. "I didn't—"

"Shhhh," urged Knuckles. For a while he sat with his arm around her and let her sob her heart out.

At last Rouge wound down most of the way and pulled away slightly. A few final gasps, and she was back to her old self.

"Sorry," she said curtly, looking away. "I got a bit shaken there. I'm fine now."

"The Master Emerald is not to be trifled with," said Knuckles quietly. He paused. "Did it tell you anything at all?"

"Nothing. Just a replay of memories I'd rather not recall," said Rouge, folding her arms. "It seems to think my motivation for finding Shadow is somewhat questionable."

"It's just being a jerk," scoffed Knuckles, surprisingly disrespectful of his mystical charge. "I know you want to find him. Heck, we all do."

"You never got along with him very well," ventured Rouge, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around them.

"He never got along with anyone well, and I don't exactly get all buddy-buddy with people either," returned Knuckles drily. "But I'm not about to let him vanish off somewhere and never come back. You don't leave people hanging like that. Not if you can help it."

"Thank you," murmured Rouge softly.

"What was that?"

"Don't make me say it again, Knucklehead!"

She felt rather than heard him chuckle slightly.

"Another reason to find Shadow. Then maybe you'll go back to your G.U.N. missions and stop hanging around here so much."

"Not funny."

"Relax, Rouge. You and I both know how tough he is. He's probably fine. Probably even under these very same stars . . . "

"Stop being so nice, I don't want to have to thank you again."

He chuckled out loud this time. They sat back together and watched the sky slowly clearing, clouds scudding at a stately pace across the rising moon. While they stayed on Angel Island, their minds probed to the far reaches of the planet, searching and calling in spirit, sending out a mental plea for Shadow to be all right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

Dark. That was the first thing. Dark and light, both unwelcome.

And the pain. Not welcome either. But at least it made you sharply aware of time. That was important.

It had all happened so fast. The message, scrawled in pencil, slipped under his door. The deep electronic voice on the phone, giving him instructions. The meeting in the smoky back room of the bar. The tall person with the masked face. Espio leaving with a worried, almost _frightened_, glance over his shoulder. That conversation.

"I see no reason why I should work for you. Seek another agent."

"You would be well advised to change your mind and come with me."

"I never change my mind."

Silence.

"We have Rouge."

He had come. What else could he do? Walk away? He had let himself be blindfolded, a strange prickling shot through his skin—Chaos Control? A warp ring? He was dragged off somewhere, a door slammed.

The dark of the blindfold gave way to the light of a glaring white room. White all over, white on the floor and ceiling and walls, all but one wall that was glass. Shadow unthinkingly approached the glass barrier, pressing his hands against it. He still remembered the taste of bile that seared through his mouth when he saw Rouge in the next room. She was alive, he could see her breathing, but she was out cold. Drugged, no doubt. Two wires ran from the walls, the ends wrapped tightly around her wrists, just loose enough to avoid biting into her flesh. A man with a gun stood next to her, probably in case she awoke. How had they caught her? What were they doing to her?

No matter. Shadow drew back a fist, ready to start causing some damage. Suddenly, however, two strong hands seized him from behind, hauling him up by the wrists, right up off his feet. He twisted his body expertly, trying to kick his restrainer in the ribs, but the man's arms were too long. He couldn't reach. Helpless, overpowered by a mere two and a half feet in size difference, he gave his captors a look of pure hatred. There were two of them now, both masked.

"What do you want from me?"

"Your cooperation. Give us that, and the bat will live," said one of the men, holding up a small remote control device. No need to explain what it was for—those weren't dud wires. Shadow snarled, his more feral tendencies instantly surfacing. But he had the option of obeying, or the option of seeing a second person he cared about dying while he watched through glass. Glass, the epitome of all things fragile, always lurking behind his defeat. Glass was his curse, dammit.

"I'll hear you out," he gritted. The man holding him up by the wrists set him down roughly.

"First give me your Chaos Emerald," said the other one, his finger on the remote's trigger.

Wordlessly Shadow handed the stone over. For a moment he was coolly grateful that Rouge was unconscious. Dear Lord, how she'd tease him if she knew how easily he gave in for her sake.

"Now, you will agree to the following," said the shorter of the two captors. Shadow listened to the conditions, his quills bristling with hatred, his teeth never hiding. Fury coursed through every cell in his body, sang in his veins, crackled electrically off every strand of fur. The conditions were a contract to hell, virtual suicide.

He said yes.

"But I go nowhere until I see that she is safe," he warned, gesturing at the glass.

"As you wish. She will be taken back to her home," said the taller captor. Through the glass Shadow saw the guard loosen the wires from Rouge's wrists and carry her out of the room, leaving his gun behind.

"Now come," said the taller man.

"I said I needed to _see_ her safe," said Shadow, his jaw set. "You will not double-cross me. I want proof that she has not been taken into the next room to be used as a surgical dummy or a lab rat."

"You ask too much," replied his captor coldly.

"So do you."

"We were promised your cooperation. I assure you the bat is safe for now, but if you again become rebellious, we can easily bring her back . . . "

Shadow fell silent and lowered his head, as if in defeat. But slowly, a murderous grin was growing across his muzzle. These fools underestimated him.

"Now come," ordered the shorter man roughly, taking Shadow by the elbow. A silent blur of movement, and the man was hurled violently against a wall, where he lay still, a red stain seeping across his mask. Shadow was already at his throat, ripping the Chaos Emerald from his coat pocket. The taller man lunged at him. Shadow turned around, smirking, and raised his free hand.

"Chaos Spear!" he bellowed, hurling point-blank.

But nothing happened.

The taller man was upon him now. Shadow kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling back, and leaped into a corner.

"Chaos Spear!" he tried again. Nothing.

The tall man was barreling at him again, and the shorter man was staggering to his feet as well. And here Shadow stood, his Chaos Spear suddenly just . . . gone. Time to get more serious.

He pressed back into the corner to gain more time, then curled his fists and swung them down and upwards towards his chest, hauling in Chaos energy, feeling it gather around his body and pulse through and around him. The two men slowed in their assault, watching anxiously as a red aura surrounded their captive. Shadow paused for a moment to feel the huge amount of power surging through him. Not his max level by a long shot, but it would do. A wicked smile twisted briefly across his face as he glanced at his captors.

"Chaos . . . .BLAST!"

Instead of the usual crack of an explosion, there was a strange electrical screaming sound. Instead of a violent shockwave of energy, there was a blinding flash of light, spiralling upwards from Shadow's arms and vanishing into the ceiling. Instead of feeling weakened but calmed, Shadow just felt . . . weak. Utterly drained. What was wrong?

That light . . . Shadow's glance flew to his wrists. Wires! There were thin, nearly invisible wires attached to his inhibitor rings, leading straight up to the ceiling. No wonder that man had held him by the wrists. Snarling, he ripped at the wires viciously—but they didn't break. They didn't come off. They were welded directly to his inhibitor rings . . . probably by the very Chaos energy he had been channeling through them. Never at a loss, Shadow made to rip off his inhibitor rings. They too were welded shut, the latching mechanism melted by the concentrated current of Chaos energy. His protectors were now his handcuffs and his leeches.

Hell. Bloody hell.

The two men in the room had not been idle, meanwhile. The shorter one had darted out, only to reappear on the other side of the glass wall, fetching the gun left behind by the guard. The tall one circled about carefully, watching Shadow get more and more frantic. He knew the hedgehog was still capable of dealing a deadly kick or punch, even weakened as he was, so he didn't get too close. The shorter one reappeared, gun at the ready.

"Now will you cooperate?" asked the taller man, his voice like the bite of a hacksaw. His accomplice raised the gun and pointed it at Shadow's head.

This was not going to happen. This was not an option. Marble Zone would freeze over before he went down like this. There was still one solution, a temporary one, one that might give him a chance to recover before returning to enact gruesome murder on these two. It might even work . . .

Shadow clutched the Chaos Emerald closer, tried to pull all its energy _away_ from his wrists, and shouted, "Chaos Control!"

A deafening retort rang out as the shorter man fired the gun. The shot missed—but only because Shadow had already slumped to the floor.

* * *

And what then? Then came the real hell. Then came a blurring series of light, dark, blinding light, suffocating dark, surgical blades, cables, fire, iron, the smell of blood. More dark. A glass wall. And the pain, running in eddies through all of it. It was coming now, merciless, tearing into his flesh, lapping at his vitals, rising in a singing crescendo—

Shadow's eyes flew open, a gasp bubbling in his tightened throat. He struggled to get his breathing back to normal.

A nightmare. Only a nightmare. It was all only a nightmare.

But then, that old chant held little comfort when nightmares were a replay of reality.

_Why can't I hurt you?_

_Nothing can hurt me._

Right.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, simmering down for a minute after the drama in the last few chapters. I dunno . . . I'm getting a little discouraged about this story. It's doing a good deal more poorly than the other fics I've written, and here I thought T-rated stuff generally got more readers. Not many reviews either . . . heck, if this is boring, I'd appreciate it if someone let me know! I'd post the rest of this in one gulp and move on to somethin' else. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

Mobius was simultaneously a large and a small place. It was small enough if Sonic wanted to run around it. He could do that in a day or so. He could visit nearly every place worth visiting in a bit more than a week. But if you wanted to do a thorough job of searching the planet . . . bless your soul.

Not like it daunted Sonic and company. They kept going. They visited every zone, every village, examined all the crannies at Green Hill, talked to every ride operator at Twinkle Park, knocked on the door of every home, store, bar . . . et cetera . . . in Casino Night Zone. They kept doing it until it became somewhat ridiculous; after two months, who would remember having seen a hedgehog of this or that sort, even if he was at least visually recognized all over the world? Two months later, nobody would recall if Sonic had come knocking or not.

And yet they kept slogging on. The longer Shadow was missing, the more they knew they had to find him. But also . . . the more that creeping whisper invaded their minds. He might not be there to find.

Rouge was one of the most dogged among the searchers. She soon resumed taking missions from G.U.N., although she refused to let anyone take Shadow's place on the team. Her higher-ups berated her. They told her that Shadow was now officially AWOL, and no longer welcome as a G.U.N. agent. Even if he did come back, they wouldn't ever give him a place on the team again, they'd just call him into the office to bawl him out and throw him permanently out the door. Yet somehow, Rouge still couldn't let someone else take his place while he was gone. She couldn't let him be replaced just like he'd been forgotten. She and Omega slugged it out together.

One day, when she wasn't on duty, she was searching in a far region of Mobius. Clambering to the top of a hill, she came upon an enormous rolling plain. There was something mysterious about that prairie; a foreign nation used it for testing of some sort. Some kind of weapons? Or a secret base underground? Something else, something wilder and even more sinister? Any which way, G.U.N. agents weren't allowed in that prairie . . . it was a good place to look for Shadow.

Rouge started towards the plain. Suddenly her communicator beeped. Sighing, she flipped it on.

"Agent Rouge speaking," she said, glancing around to ensure she was alone.

"Agent Rouge," came the clipped female voice on the other end of the line. "G.U.N. requests a status report."

"Off-duty, solitary, in comparatively wild region," rattled off Rouge wearily. "What do you—"

"State your coordinates."

Rouge hesitated, then gave her location.

"Agent Rouge, you are standing at the edge of a restricted area. Allow me to remind you that international law forbids G.U.N. agents from entering that region. Stay out."

"Roger," said Rouge through her teeth. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, merely the status report. You are free to continue. Just not into the restricted area."

Rouge hung up and stared out across the prairie, cursing mentally. Why did G.U.N. always have to call her up at the most inconvenient times? It always seemed like they were ringing her up and dragging her out for a mission just as she was about to start a good jewel heist, and now this . . . Dang. Now that she had been warned, going into the prairie would be expressly disobeying orders. If she hadn't been forced to give her location, she could have just briefly "forgotten" the treaty, sashayed in, and skedaddled out, and nobody would ever even know.

Or . . . would they?

A dark thought suddenly bloomed in Rouge's head. One way or another, she was going into that prairie, but now it would be a test too. She stepped firmly out into the tall, rippling grass and started to walk.

Within thirty seconds her communicator started to beep.

"Agent Rouge!" barked the same voice from before. "You are requested to come on duty and return to base for briefing!"

Rouge dove back to "safe" ground and flicked off her still-jabbering communicator. She was dizzy with shock.

G.U.N. knew where she was.

She felt wildly betrayed, although she didn't know why. Of course, it made perfect sense that an organization as covert and mistrusting as G.U.N. would track its own agents. It had to know what they were up to, make sure they weren't planning some sneaky double-crossing or insurrection. Perhaps it was also for safety reasons, so missing agents could be located. But somehow, it still chilled her to think that somebody had been watching her every move for so many years.

But if they knew where she was . . .

Rouge whirled around and shot off full-speed for the G.U.N. headquarters, her wings pounding the air.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

At the G.U.N. headquarters, Rouge sauntered up to the front desk. A man sat behind it. So much the better—she could more easily manipulate him than some peppery young female.

"Hi, hon," she said, smiling and slanting her long lashes. "I need to have a look into the G.U.N. data vault."

"I am sorry, but it is not in my position to grant access to the data vault," said the man tightly. "Only the commander may authorize agents' access to the vault."

"Oh, come on, sweetie," said Rouge, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. "I'm one of G.U.N.'s top agents! I've been in that vault dozens of times before, why would I suddenly not be allowed in there now?"

Well, actually she'd been in the data vault only about four or five times. It was the most high-security room in G.U.N., and probably in the world. Agents had to get special permission from the commander any time they wanted to enter, and even then they had to have a heck of a good reason. It contained all of G.U.N.'s computer records, all their documents and transactions and logs and blueprints. Anyone gaining free access to one-tenth of the information in there could instantly rule the world.

"You may not enter," said the man firmly. "Go speak to the commander. He is in his office."

"I'd hate to bother him about such a little thing . . . he must have so much on his mind," sighed Rouge.

The man's look made it very clear that he would brook no denial.

"Oh, all right," smiled Rouge carelessly. "See you later, hon."

But she didn't go to the commander. She went to sweet-talk the first set of guards watching over the vault. However, they also flatly refused, again sending her to the commander.

Rouge sighed. She had hoped it wouldn't come to that, but there was nothing to be done.

"Hello, Sir," she said breezily, sailing into the commander's office. "I need a passcard to get into the data vault."

The commander gave her one of his cold green-and-hazel gazes.

"May I ask your reason?"

"I need to look up some logs of previous mission paperwork," lied Rouge.

"Why?"

"I believe there may be a serious error in the documentation for a mission my team completed on the third of June, 2012," continued Rouge smoothly. She had thought this out beforehand.

"I highly doubt it," replied the commander equally smoothly. "All documentation is checked, double-checked, and cross-checked. Besides, if there is an error, I can have the official vault librarian check for you. You do not need to enter."

"I would feel much better checking it myself," said Rouge, trying not to let frustration edge into her voice.

"What do you really want?" asked the commander bluntly.

"I already told you," replied Rouge. The cold dual-colored eyes scanned her up and down. She stared back, unblinking, unflinching. It was a staring match she couldn't win, however.

"Well, I suppose I have to be direct with you," she sighed at last, her wings flaring wide as she shrugged. She closed her eyes coolly for a minute, then opened them and gazed directly up at the commander.

"I know you track all your agents," she said, her voice calm and cold. "You know where they are every moment. You _know_ where Shadow is, and you never told me, you traitor. I want to see the records of his movements. I want to know where he is."

"We don't know where he is," said the commander, realizing it was no use trying to deny Rouge's allegation. "The signal from his tracking device vanished on the first of May."

"Then I want to see records of where he was just before it vanished," Rouge persisted, her poised, careless exterior not betraying her plummeting heart. Did that mean . . . Shadow really was in another dimension?

"I cannot allow you to access this information. It is forbidden," grated the commander.

"Then I would like you to make an exception," returned Rouge, not twitching a muscle. She stood before the commander's desk, her arms folded, her eyes hard. The commander surveyed her yet again.

"Why are you making all this effort?" he asked. "Agent Shadow has been missing for months. Why are you so stubborn about finding him?"

Rouge suddenly gave a violent flap of her wings and landed on the commander's desk, her heart-toed boots planting themselves firmly on his paperwork. She was now a little taller than him. She glared down, her hands flicking out to the side and moving to her hips in defiance.

"I made Shadow a promise," she said, her voice still calm and cold. "I promised him that I would always be there for him, that I would always be by his side. Letting him disappear forever is not keeping that promise."

"Agent Rouge," said the commander drily. "From experience, it has become obvious that your promises are not worth very much."

This nearly pushed Rouge over the edge. Her teeth flashed, her face hardened, her wings folded back dangerously. When she spoke again, it was very low.

"I keep only the promises that I intend to keep. And those, I keep with no exceptions. I don't care how, but I will have a passcard to get into the data vault. And you will give it to me."

"Get off my desk and get out of here," ordered the commander coldly.

Rouge twitched her head to the side, her mouth twisting in thought. Then she nonchalantly reached behind her heart-shaped breastplate and pulled out a long dagger.

"Bet you didn't know I had this in my heart, hmmm?" she smiled. "But I'd much rather have it in yours."

The commander's cold expression didn't flicker in the least.

"Now then," said Rouge, stepping forward. "You've betrayed all your own agents by tracking their every move. You know more about Shadow's location than you let on. You're hiding something from me right now, but I don't care about that. I said you would give me that passcard, and you will. I don't much care if you're alive at the time or not."

"Really now, Rouge," said the commander calmly. "You're a thief, not a murderer. You don't have it in you to kill anyone. After all, you were the one who specifically asked that she be assigned only to non-lethal missions. You're the one who worms out of every training session that involves techniques for killing the enemy. Your hand is shaking right now."

Rouge set her teeth. She couldn't falter; she had passed the point of no return.

"I assure you, for Shadow's sake, I have it in me to kill someone. Especially a worm like you. I really don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

The commander's hand had been stealing towards a call button, hoping to summon some guards. Rouge caught the motion.

"Ah-ah-ah," she crooned, pressing the dagger's tip to the commander's chest lightly. "For your own sake. Believe me, I can stab you much faster than any guard could get here. Now."

She put her face closer to the commander's, her eyes turning icy.

"Give. Me. The. Card."

A moment of silence. Then the commander nodded ever so slightly, his jaw hard. Rouge pulled back a little, keeping her dagger pointed at the man as he slowly reached into a drawer, digging amongst layers of paperwork to pull out a key. Still moving carefully, he unlocked another drawer and pulled out a small plastic card—the card that would permit Rouge to enter the forbidden vault. He handed it to her stiffly. Rouge's heart sang out, and little electrical tingles shot up her arm as the bit of plastic touched her hand. Now she would know. She'd all but sold her soul, but now she would know.

"Thank you, _Sir_," she smiled, making the title sound like an insult. She gave a derisive little wave and turned to leave, tossing the knife aside. There was a sharp crack. Rouge started and whirled around, her eyes staring, then smoothly sank back onto the commander's desk.

A pity, thought the commander as he cleaned his pistol and put it away. She really had been one of their best agents. But then again, those were the ones that G.U.N. could least afford getting rebellious. She knew too much, she wanted to know even more, and she was plenty daring enough to spread what she knew if permitted to. No, there really had been no choice.

Strange, he mused to himself. Spread out on the desktop with her wings wide and her arms draped over her body, she looked so much like an old-fashioned angel. And yet she was such a bitch in real life.

He stepped over to the door to call in the guards, as a thin rivulet of blood began to trickle off the edge of the desk.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks very much to Anon for your review! I'll be posting this, and then the final chapter tomorrow.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

Dark times came to Mobius. Sonic and the others wanted to know what had happened to Rouge, and they found out in the course of the general world takeover. They tried to stop it, of course. For their troubles, they were forced into hiding in the darkest nooks and corners, each with four different bounties on his head. They clung to life and to each other, determined to bring down an organization that could, and now did, rule the world ten times over. A small band of woodland creatures. What were they thinking.

Three years later, a blue blur pounded through the G.U.N. headquarters, smashing through doors, walls, guard robots, alarm systems, anyone who got in his way. He could hear his friends screaming and smashing things behind him. They were holding a last-ditch, desperate attack on G.U.N.'s central hub, in the wild hope that they could damage some central component of the massive organization. It was practically a suicide mission.

Thanks to the distraction the others were creating, Sonic was able to skitter around a few more robots and dive deep into the heart of the building. It was huge, with miles and miles of corridors, and it seemed to get darker the farther he got in. All forces were deployed to clobber his friends at the outskirts of the building, so his footsteps echoed in the now-empty corridors as he ran steadily along the twisting halls. Anything useful? Anything?

Suddenly his footsteps slowed, then stopped. A huge, heavy sliding door was set in the wall before him. It looked extremely difficult to get through. A good sign.

Backing up for power, he threw himself forward and spindashed into the crack between the two halves of the door. Metal shrieked and buzzed under his quills, until the doors creaked open slightly, just enough for his spinning body to edge through. The doors groaned and exploded out of their tracks as he finally shot through, falling on his face.

Rubbing his head, he gingerly heaved himself to his feet. A nearly pitch-dark room greeted his eyes, with only the faintest light filtering in from the broken doors, and from what looked like the power lights of some computers or machines. Gradually Sonic's eyes adjusted. The soft hum of machinery mingled with his slow, echoing footsteps. In the corner was a broad glass plate, curving out into the room slightly. Cautiously, Sonic stepped forward and squinted through it.

Another pair of eyes looked back into his own.

Sonic jumped back, startled, his quills standing up all over. There was something _alive_ in there! He tore around the room, searching for a lightswitch. At last he found one and flicked it on, flooding the room with at least a small amount of dim light. Sonic fell back against a wall.

"Shadow?" he gulped.

"Hello," came a quiet reply, made even quieter by the barrier between the two hedgehogs. Shadow stood, one hand against the glass, his head tilted to one side. He was so lean, so ragged, so battered, Sonic could barely recognize him. His quills were limp, his eyes dull, his face scarred, not a hint of his usual self-confident arrogance. He looked . . . broken. A wire was fastened to either of his inhibitor rings, trailing up to the ceiling of the room.

"Shads," whispered Sonic, stepping closer. "What—what have they done to you?"

"A lot," replied Shadow in a hoarse murmur.

"You were gone so long, we were all sure . . . you were . . . "

"How long has it been? I've lost track of time in here."

"More than four years! It's been hell, Shadow. G.U.N. has taken over the world, there's only a few of us left standing up to it! We've all but given up."

"G.U.N.," murmured Shadow. "Is that what this is? Is that where I am?"

"This is their headquarters! The others and I came here on a raid!"

"I always kind of figured it was them," said Shadow grimly. "I'm not surprised." He lifted his head, blinking. "Wait, others? The others are here?"

"Yes, everyone! They'll be so happy to see you! Come on, I'm gonna break you outta here."

Sonic stepped back and surveyed the glass wall.

"Anything I should know about this thing?" he asked. "If _you_ can't break it—"

"I think it's bulletproof," said Shadow. "Normally I could easily break that, but I'm not really at full power." He twitched his wrists, making the wires shimmer as they swayed. "They're draining me."

"Wh-what? Dude, you must be powering the entire building!"

"Probably," said Shadow, feeling his customary annoyance with Sonic starting to creep back again, for the first time in four years. It felt so good.

Sonic, pig-headed as ever, attempted to spindash the glass anyway. He bounced right off and flew into a corner. Shadow didn't waste his scanty energy on words, but he felt a smirk teasing at the corners of his mouth. The Faker hadn't changed at all.

"There's gotta be some way to open this thing," muttered Sonic, beginning to examine the machines all around the room. He caught sight of one that looked promising and began to toy with the buttons.

"You may want to be careful with that one," came Shadow's worn-out voice. "It's the only thing keeping me alive."

Sonic turned around and stared in silence for a moment.

"_What_ have they _done_ to you?"

"It's a weird combination. On one hand they feed me some kind of power to keep me alive, and on the other hand they drain my Chaos power. It's bloody murder. I don't know how it works."

"Haven't you at least seen how they open the glass to feed you?"

"They don't feed me. Not food, anyway."

Sonic swore under his breath.

"You stay alive on nothing but some AC current?! What the heck are you?"

"Very funny, Faker. You think it's fun being the damn Ultimate Life Form when it leads to this?"

"Okay okay, don't get snippy," protested Sonic, rolling his eyes and turning back to the machinery. "Lemme try something else."

He fiddled around here and there, carefully eyeing all the switches and levers.

"How are the others?" Shadow spoke up suddenly. "Are they all right? Are Rouge and Omega still with G.U.N.?"

A moment of silence.

"Rouge is dead," said Sonic quietly, not looking up. "Omega was reprogrammed by G.U.N. and doesn't know who we are."

More silence.

"I'm sorry," said Sonic, his eyes still fixed on the control panel before him. "If it makes you feel better, Tails is dead too. Torn to pieces right in front of my eyes. I . . . I couldn't save him."

Still more silence. Then a sudden growl, low and wrathful.

"Get me the hell out of here, Faker," snarled Shadow. "I've got some killing to do."

"Now you're talking." Sonic smiled faintly and got back to work.

"Does that do anything?" he asked, nudging a lever slightly downwards. Shadow grunted as he suddenly felt even more power being sucked from his body. He briefly saw the dark horizon of death flickering in the distance.

"Other way!" he managed to bark. Gulping, Sonic slid the lever upwards as far as he could.

"Oh, that's better . . . "

Sonic turned around and gave a yelp. Shadow was _glowing;_ a sharp yellow aura surrounded him. Suddenly all the lights in the building shut down.

"Now the building's power is going into me," said Shadow, grinning darkly. "I intend to suck this place dry. My Chaos power, and the things G.U.N. learned from experimenting on me, helped them take over the world. Now I'm going to make up for that."

He abruptly put his fist straight through the glass barrier as if it were a piece of paper. Sonic raised his eyebrows.

"Well. Not bad. Come on then, let's bust outta here!"

"I'm not done draining this place," said Shadow, the aura around his body growing brighter by the second. "I'm going to get every last bit of their energy."

Abruptly he flashed brightly and turned gold, his red stripes starting to shine like sunlit stained glass. Sonic gaped in silence. Never in his life had he dreamed that someone could go Super without Chaos Emeralds. Smirking, Shadow reached over and grabbed Sonic's elbow, sending a flood of power into him. Sonic cried out involuntarily; it felt like being electrocuted.

When he opened his eyes, his fur was also shimmering gold.

"Still haven't got all the power," Shadow's voice grated in his ear. "Faker, there's going to be a royal fireworks show coming. Your job is to round up the others and get at least a mile away from here, got it? I don't want _them_ to die."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"Stupid."

"Stupid yourself."

"Look, just get out of here! I'm not going to be able to control this amount of power for very long."

Sonic grinned resignedly.

"Okay. Take care, Shads!"

He plowed straight through the wall and vanished. Setting his teeth, Shadow focused on sucking the remaining power out of every last circuit in the entire building. He could _feel_ machinery and computers shutting down all over the network, and their power reverse converting into Chaos energy and filling his body. Holding off the energy release long enough for the others to escape wasn't going to be easy.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well, last chapter. As a bit of trivia, the title of this story is partly based on the bridge from an ABBA song, "SOS." I don't own the song, ABBA and their label do, of course. But as a general rule of thumb, if it's ABBA, it's awesome, so give it a listen if you like. It got stuck in my head every time I tried to post a chapter.**

**Anyway, I'd appreciate a little feedback if anybody has some. Particularly on Rouge; looking back, I'm wondering if I didn't make her an unsympathetic character. Of course, I didn't mean to make her wholly sympathetic either . . . at any rate, any comments, on Rouge or other topics, would be much appreciated.**

**Also, it's been puzzling me for days: Ever since I put up Chapter 5, it's steadily been getting more viewers and more views than any of the chapters around it. Anybody have any idea as to why? If something somehow went right there, I'd sure like to know about it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and Co.**

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sonic (now back to his usual blue) and the rest of the resistance were gathered on a distant hilltop, staring at the sprawling building that was the G.U.N. headquarters.

"Are you sure that was really Shadow you saw in there?" asked Espio seriously, blinking through his one eye. The other was covered by a patch, with the ends of a scar peeking out on either side.

"It was him all right!" averred Sonic, his eyes trained on the building intently."There is no way to fake that overbearing attitude, believe me. Man, he won't recognize us!"

He glanced around at the ragged little band, smiling fondly. Boy, would Shadow ever be surprised. Cream and Charmy were now ten-year-olds, driven by necessity into being rough, tough little adults already. Cream was wearing her ears rolled up behind her head, her eyes were steely and narrowed, and her smile spoke of death and torture. Charmy had entirely lost his hyperactive, happy nature; more cheerful countenances had been seen on executioners. The others were scarred, bruised, missing a few minor body parts here and there . . . but they were alive, and they were together. And they couldn't wait to see their long-lost friend again.

* * *

Back inside the building, Shadow leaned against a wall, clutching at the edge of the former glass barrier. It was taking all his strength not to lose control over the massive amount of Chaos energy his body now contained. He was soaked with it, dripping with it; it was doing something funny to his cells, because he sure didn't feel right. Where were the others? Were they at a safe distance yet?

Shadow gritted his teeth and gripped the bulletproof glass harder. It kept crumbling in his hands, forcing him to find a new grip. He tried to think of something else. So, all along he'd been a prisoner and lab rat for G.U.N.? Not that surprising; he was a useful power source. And Commander Tower had never trusted him. Never really forgiven him for . . . for . . . A cloudy memory, corrupted and half-lost after multiple experiments, shimmered briefly into Shadow's head. They had tried specifically to take that memory away from him. The commander must have resented Shadow remembering . . . her . . .

"Maria?" he murmured. He could almost remember, yet not quite. Was Maria someone he knew? Was she back with the others? Who exactly . . . ? All he could remember was some kind of promise. And somehow, he didn't know if he was breaking that promise now, or keeping it. Or both.

"Maria . . . If this is wrong . . . I'm sorry."

He stepped away from the wall and snapped the wires holding his wrists.

* * *

Sonic and the others outside were getting anxious.

"Where is he?" growled Knuckles impatiently.

"I don't—" Sonic broke off as a golden geyser of light suddenly tore through the roof of the headquarters. Smoothly the geyser spread into a raging torrent, then into a massive golden ball. It grew relentlessly, evidently aiming to engulf the entire building.

Suddenly the sound of the explosion caught up to the visual. It was horrific, a deafening mix of smashing, the screeching of metal, the roar of raw energy, crashes and screams and things exploding.

The little group on the hilltop stood watching in horrified awe. The building melted to the ground right before their eyes, flattening out in every direction, disintegrating into dust and atoms. A blazing globe of golden energy streamed above the wreckage, and in the center of it danced a tiny black figure.

"Overkill," groaned Knuckles. "He'll get himself killed!"

The blaze of energy lasted a full five minutes, then slowly shrank and dimmed. Suddenly, like a dying star, it exploded into shreds of golden light and disappeared.

Sonic and the others were already tearing down towards the wreckage of the building.

Amongst the smoldering charcoal and ashes, Sonic found Shadow's body, slumped full-length face down. Knuckles, second-fastest, came pounding in to help as Sonic gently turned Shadow over.

"Shadow? Shads, you okay?" called Sonic anxiously.

Shadow's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open.

"Did I . . . get 'em?" he whispered, a dribble of blood spurting from the corner of his mouth.

"If flattening a square mile of land counts as getting 'em, heck yeah," said Sonic.

"Good . . . good. I'm done, then."

"Shads, hey, wake up! You okay?"

Slowly Shadow opened his eyes. They were drifting randomly around in his head like those of someone just about to fall asleep. He struggled futilely to bring them under control, the ragged white fluff on his chest heaving up and down as he breathed heavily. Suddenly, the ruby orbs focused sharply on some invisible point above him, then drifted accusingly to Sonic.

"Dammit Faker," Shadow rasped. "I thought you said Rouge was dead . . . "

"She . . . is . . . " Sonic swallowed. "Shadow, you're delirious."

"Not delirious," said Knuckles.

"Shads, no! Snap out of it!"

"Faker, shut up," mumbled Shadow. "It's hurting less and less, don't mess it up."

"Shads!"

Funny thing. He'd always been such a serious, scowling type of personality . . .

Shadow the Hedgehog died smiling.


End file.
